


The Luck of the Draw

by LovelyLittleWordsmith



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Pre-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), School Clubs, there can be only one ultimate lucky student
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:54:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26673247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovelyLittleWordsmith/pseuds/LovelyLittleWordsmith
Summary: Ultimates are the best of the best; therefore, it only makes sense that one student should be able to hold the title at a time.With the enrollment of yet another ultimate lucky student, Komaeda has decided that he must take matters into his own hands to determine who the true ultimate lucky student is.
Relationships: Komaeda Nagito & Naegi Makoto
Comments: 8
Kudos: 46





	1. Chapter One: Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa. All characters belong to Kazutaka Kodaka.

Hope’s Peak Academy was in every sense of the word extraordinary. From the professors to the students, each member of the campus stood out above the rest. And that was for one very simple reason: Every person who had the privilege of passing through the academy’s doors was an ultimate.

The title of “ultimate” rested upon each of the students’ heads like a crown of light. They were beacons meant to lead the world to a bright, hopeful future. Their talents, a guide for the tragically mediocre masses to strive for something bigger than themselves. At least that’s what the school’s guidebook said.

Nagito Komaeda, the ultimate lucky student of class 77, basked in the glory of Hope’s Peak. Of course, his luck could hardly be considered an ultimate talent when compared to his classmates, but it did place him a step above the untalented individuals that lay outside the academy’s gate. He knew his place, and he humbly accepted it. The opportunity to simply exist in the presence of the ultimates was worth being a stepping stone for them. If only he could actually convince them to use him as such though.

It was a good life. So naturally everything had to change.

A year passed and Hope’s Peak Academy accepted a new ultimate lucky student.

Makoto Naegi. Short. Clumsy. Completely, utterly average.

At the beginning of the new school year, Komaeda observed Naegi from afar. He observed the new luckster’s interactions with his classmates and approvingly saw that he too believed himself to be below the level of his classmates. Naegi didn’t go so far as to say he was worthless, but thankfully he had a general idea of his true place.

As far as Komaeda could tell, Naegi’s luck didn’t operate in cycles of extreme good and bad luck as his did. In fact, Naegi’s luck seemed heavily skewed towards the bad end of the luck scale, only occasionally gifting him good luck every once in a while. Its seemingly random pattern made it difficult to understand and even more difficult to predict.

Beyond his observations, Komaeda's interactions with Naegi were few and far between, despite the latter’s persistence. It was as if the younger luckster had made it his only goal in life to befriend every single classmate he came into contact with. Once once did Komaeda try to compare his luck with Naegi’s and the event had garnered more attention than either one of them appreciated. Surprisingly enough, even that hadn’t diminished Naegi’s friendly demeanor towards him.

It wasn’t that Komaeda went out of his way to avoid Naegi, but the boy’s sharing of the ultimate lucky student title sat uncomfortably with Komaeda. Ultimate meant the best of the best, the top tier of talent. Many people could cook—some might even be considered good at it—but only one could be called the ultimate chef. Although luck was a poor excuse of a talent, the rules of being an ultimate should still hold true. It would be an insult to his classmates and the ultimates that came before him if a lowly talent such as his could bend those rules.

Komaeda could live with Naegi’s presence at the school. Their luck differed greatly enough that the title of ultimate lucky student could _possibly_ be shared. At least that’s what he kept telling himself.

It was an acceptable life. So naturally everything had to change once more.

A year passed and Hope’s Peak Academy accepted a third ultimate lucky student.

One ultimate with a title was standard. Two ultimates sharing a title was unusual, if not unorthodox. Three ultimates sharing a title was blatant disrespect for the mere definition of the word ultimate.

Komaeda didn’t bother to observe this new student. As a result of his own luck, he had stumbled across the new lucksters student file laying conveniently on an unattended desk in the classroom.

Keitaro Tokuda. Dark auburn hair, brown-rimmed glasses, and a slightly wrinkled school uniform betrayed none of the striking features usually associated with ultimates. He appeared even more unremarkable than Naegi. A quick glance through the rest of the file gave Komaeda all the information that he needed to know. At this rate, Hope’s Peak would enroll yet another ultimate lucky student at the start of next year, and that simply wouldn’t do.

…

“Komaeda-kun,” Headmaster Kirigiri said wearily. “I appreciate your concern on this matter, but the truth is that we have little interest in choosing an _ultimate_ ultimate lucky student at this time.” He glanced at the clock, noting that this impromptu meeting was quickly taking up most of his lunch break. He set aside the papers he had been sorting through and gave Komaeda his full attention. “I had to argue quite a bit with the school board about your acceptance alone. Most here believe that luck does not qualify as a talent and are reluctant to study it as such. I’m thankful that the yearly drawing is still continuing at this point.”

Komaeda’s smile persisted as it had throughout the entire meeting, but something in his gaze sharpened enough for the headmaster to be wary. “I understand what you’re saying, Kirigiri-sensei,” the boy began, “But with multiple people sharing the title of ultimate lucky student, does that not take away the significance of the ultimate title?” He leaned forward, eyes shining. “It wouldn’t be fair to my fellow classmates who have trained throughout their entire lives to have their ultimate title disgraced like that. To share my title would be to purposefully dim the light of their hope! I think that—.”

The headmaster cleared his throat, effectively interrupting Komaeda’s tangent.

“Ah, forgive me,” Komaeda said with a light chuckle. “An untalented nobody like me should remember their place, especially when talking to someone as talented as you, Kirigir-sensei.”

All too familiar with Komaeda’s antics, Kirigiri immediately responded, “You’re not an untalented nobody, Komaeda-kun. You are a valued student of Hope’s Peak Academy and a talented one at that.”

Komaeda opened his mouth, likely to disagree, but before he could get anything out, Kirigiri hurriedly resumed talking. “I firmly believe that if we keep proceeding as we are now, we can obtain enough data to understand how luck functions as a talent. It’s your contributions to these studies that make such a huge difference. Both you and Naegi-kun have allowed us to advance our knowledge as much as we have, and it is my hope that Tokuda-kun will further our research as well.”

Komaeda eyed the man calculatingly. It was clear to him that Jin Kirigiri would be of no help. The man’s obsession with researching and collecting talent blinded him from what truly mattered. It allowed him to sully the revered title of ultimate. It was almost despairful how obsession could take over someone’s life like that.

None of that really mattered though. It was bad luck that Plan A of reasoning with the headmaster had fallen through. That only meant that good luck would guide him through Plan B.

“I see now!” Komaeda said brightly, clapping his hands together. “It is truly an honor to be of service in your studies! Perhaps, Naegi-kun, Tokuda-kun, and I should get to know each other better then so that we can all do our best to contribute to the academy’s research.”

Kirigiri visibly relaxed, leaning back into his chair. “Yes,” he said. “That would be quite helpful actually. Since that event with you and Naegi-kun, we’ve been interested in observing how the different types of luck interact with each other.” His eyes drifted to the picture frame at the corner of his desk displaying him and his daughter. He smiled. “But beyond that, here at Hope’s Peak, we also want you to build up your relationships with other students along with your talents. Getting to know your classmates better would help you develop both.”

“Then I will do my best to do so,” Komaeda said with a determined nod. He paused and frowned as if a thought had suddenly come to him. “It’s too bad that the ultimate lucky students are all in different classes though,” he said. “It’s difficult to find time to interact with one another.”

“Unfortunately, that is true,” Kirigri admitted. “But I do believe that the lunch periods of each class overlap and there is always time after school, of course.”

“Oh!” Komaeda said suddenly. “Kirigiri-sensei, if trash like me could be so bold as to suggest an idea. Seeing as there are three lucky students now and this number is bound to grow in the future, would it be possible for us to form a school-sponsored club? It would ensure that we have time and a place to meet regularly.”

Although the headmaster frowned when Komaeda referred to himself as trash, his expression was thoughtful. “You would have to keep track of finances and meetings,” he said slowly. “And fill out the proper forms.” He took a deep breath. “But I don’t see why not.”

And with that, Plan B was set in motion. If Hope’s Peak refused to learn who was truly the ultimate lucky student, then Komaeda was more than happy to take matters into his own hands.


	2. Chapter 2: The Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa. All characters belong to Kazutaka Kodaka.

Keitaro Tokuda did not belong at Hope’s Peak. He knew this when he received the acceptance letter announcing that he was to be the ultimate lucky student of the 79th class. He knew this when he donned the high-quality, but somehow still uncomfortable school uniform. And he knew this when he passed through the gated entrance of Hope’s Peak and wasn’t once stopped by the security.

Yet even if Tokuda had chosen to ignore those earlier signs entirely, his misplacement at Hope’s Peak Academy was made all the more clear when he was in the presence of his actual ultimate talent-level classmates. It was one thing to say that every person was unique in their own way, but that was more of an understatement when it came to the 79th class.

At his previous school, dying your hair could result in a suspension, but it must have been encouraged here. That was the only explanation for the variety of hair colors that made up the sea of students before him. School uniforms must also have been optional. It appeared that only about two thirds of the class actually wore them. Everyone looked so different it was as if the school had scouted only the extremes of humanity and brought them here.

On the first day of class, he had selected a seat in the back corner of the classroom, far away from the windows. He had hoped that the shadows would swallow him whole before anybody noticed him. Most of the other students seemed content to chatter among themselves while they waited for the teacher. The few students that attempted to make small talk with him quickly lost interest over the next few days. He didn’t blame them. There were plenty others far more interesting than him and if he was honest, he couldn’t keep up with the antics of the other ultimates. It was rare for a class to proceed smoothly without the ultimate comedian causing a distraction or the ultimate chemist instigating a “minor” explosion. He kept his head low and tried to focus on his homework, on his lectures, and anything else that was considered normal schoolwork.

The rest of the first week followed a similar, frenzied but dull pattern. Wake up in his dorm room, dress himself in a uniform he had no business wearing, and attempt to fade into the background amongst the chaos that the ultimates called normalcy. Maybe things would have been more tolerable if the ultimates didn’t have to be so extreme with everything. Never was it simply “let’s go for a walk and grab a bite to eat.” Instead it was “let’s see if pole vaulting or roller skating can get us across campus faster and then we can hold a competition to determine if the ultimate baker or the ultimate chef can make the best snacks.” _That_ was considered normal to everyone except for him apparently.

He missed his own definition of normalcy. He missed his boring, old classmates and doing stupid teenager things that didn’t involve potential dangers. Most of all, he missed when being average meant that you fit in.

Perhaps it was this desire for normalcy that kept Tokuda from almost missing the letter that had slipped under his dorm room door that afternoon. Messy handwritten script informed him that he was personally invited to the opening of a new club on campus.

Tokuda’s heart skipped a beat and he read over the invitation once more. Immediately, he perked up like a wilting plant finally being given water. This was the answer to his problems that he had been looking for!

He felt silly for not realizing it before. Sure, he may be the only normal student in his own class, but each of the other classes should have an “ultimate lucky student” as well. They would be older than him, yes, but at least they would be _normal_. They would understand what he was going through. Maybe they’d even have tips on how to make it through the school year!

For the first time since attending Hope’s Peak, Tokuda felt excitement. Or maybe it was something more than that. Maybe this was that hope that all of the teachers and students went on and on about. If that’s what this was, maybe he could get behind it. After neatly folding up the note, he glanced at his watch. The meeting didn’t start for another hour and a half. If he left now, he could probably grab dinner and then find out where the clubroom was located. Although the campus was large, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find the room.

…

As it turned out, it was very difficult to find the clubroom. It honestly felt like Hope’s Peak had more classrooms than students. If you didn’t count the ones in the reserve course, they probably did actually. He reached the classroom just as the club meeting was supposed to start. Steadying himself with a deep breath, he reached for the door handle. This was it.

The first thing Tokuda noticed was that only one other person was in the room. An older student with surprisingly white hair was seated at a table and swiping through his phone. Upon hearing the door open, he had turned towards the noise and his face lit up with a smile. He tucked his phone back into his pocket and made his way over.

“Ah, you must be Keitaro Tokuda,” the white-haired teen said happily. “My name is Nagito Komaeda. It’s not much of a talent, but I’m the ultimate lucky student of class 77.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Tokuda said. Immediately, there was something about the older boy that set him on edge, but he had nothing to justify that feeling. He couldn’t deny that Komaeda’s appearance was unexpected. The pale skin and white hair were better suited for a ghost than teenager, but everything about Komaeda from his tone to his body language suggested that he had nothing to fear about him. He simply gave off the impression of a chill guy.

“Am I the first one to arrive?” Tokuda asked, more to fill the silence than anything.

“Yep,” Komaeda said cheerily. “Although, I expected that since our remaining club member is Naegi. He tries so hard, but he’s chronically late to events like these.” He shrugged. “That’s luck for you though.”

It sounded more like an excuse than luck to Tokuda, but he kept the thought to himself. He moved past Komaeda and took in the rest of the room. It was a little smaller than his homeroom, but much emptier. He hadn’t expected much of a set up for the club meeting (there were only three members afterall), but the single round table with three chairs felt lacking. A few other tables had been folded and leaned against the far wall of the classroom and several chairs were stacked haphazardly in the corner. Aside from those there was, well, nothing.

Tokuda could feel Komaeda’s eyes following him from his place at the table. He wished the older boy would say something else already. The silence that surrounded them felt oddly suffocating.

Thankfully, the door to the classroom opened with a bang and someone else stumbled into the room. Unlike Komaeda, this newcomer looked like an average high schooler, though just a little on the shorter side. His face was slick with sweat and he appeared to be breathing heavily.

“Sorry,” he panted. He back was bent as he grasped his knees for support. “I tried to get here early. My shoe slipped off in the stairwell and fell down four floors. I had to run back down to get it and run back up again.” He looked embarrassed. “Twice…”

“Welcome, Naegi-kun,” Komaeda greeted, unsurprised by Naegi’s story. “Now that you’re here we can finally get started. I don’t think you two have been introduced to each other yet, but this is Keitaro Tokuda, the lucky student of Hope’s Peak’s newest class.”

Naegi stood up straight and smiled at Tokuda. He offered a small, awkward wave before wiping his brow with the sleeve of his hoodie. “Hi, Tokuda-kun! I’m Makoto Naegi, ultimate lucky student of class 78.” He made his way over to the table and took a seat. “I hope I didn’t keep you guys waiting too long.”

“I just got here a few minutes before you,” Tokuda said. He took a seat at the table as well, and scooted his chair slightly closer to Naegi. Although he had just met the boy, he didn’t feel the same uneasiness around him that he felt around Komaeda.

“Oh good,” Naegi said, relieved. He turned to the other upperclassman and gave him a curious look. “I never expected that you’d be the sort of person to start a club, Komaeda-senpai, but I think it’s a really great idea.”

“Yeah,” Tokuda agreed. “It’s a relief to actually be around other normal students. The ultimates are great, but they can be a little overwhelming sometimes.”

Naegi laughed. “I know what you mean,” he said. “It took me a while to adapt when I first came. I thought for sure I’d never get used to it.”

“It only makes sense that you would see their presence as overwhelming,” Komaeda said suddenly. “After all, lowlives like us could never hope to fully comprehend the talent of our ultimates.”

The room fell silent and everything stilled.

“Did you just call me a lowlife?” Tokuda asked after a moment. He didn’t think he was insulted, just confused maybe. He felt like he had been slapped in the face. Komaeda’s statement had come out of nowhere, and while the words were hurtful, the tone suggested no malice at all.

“Yes!” Komaeda said, oblivious to Tokuda’s discomfort. “I called us all lowlives! Me, especially!”

Well, that wasn’t the response Tokuda had expected. What was he supposed to say to that?

“Komaeda-senpai,” Naegi cut in, “You shouldn’t call yourself or others lowlives. It’s not right to put others down.”

“It’s not putting others down,” Komeda explained calmly. “It’s reminding them of their place. It is undeniable that our ultimate classmates are more worthy to attend Hope’s Peak Academy than us.” He stood up now and began to pace on his side of the table. “They’ve been training to be the best since they could walk. It’s only through that hard work that they’ve been able to achieve the title of ultimate. Our luck, on the other hand, was simply gifted to us at our birth. It can hardly even be considered a talent.”

“What is the point of all this?” Tokuda asked. This wasn’t how he thought this get together was going to go and he was quickly growing irritated with the white-haired boy in front of him. That uneasy feeling that he got from him was slowly becoming justified.

“We have no talent,” Komaeda announced, carrying himself like a preacher speaking to his congregation. “That’s why it is—.”

“I have talent,” Tokuda interrupted him. “Sure, I’m not at the level of my classmates, but I took dance lessons as a kid, and I’m not too bad at playing the piano.”

Komaeda’s smile didn’t falter. “Are you the ultimate dancer?” he asked innocently. “Or perhaps the ultimate pianist?”

“No, but—.”

“Then as I was saying,” Komaeda continued brightly, cutting him off. “We have no talent! We are but stepping stones meant to be used by our ultimate classmates so that they may let their hope shine.”

Tokuda looked to Naegi, who he was rapidly believing to be the more reasonable of the other two lucksters. The only response the other boy gave him, however, was a half-hearted shrug and a meek smile that suggested this wasn’t the first time he had listened to Komaeda’s speeches.

“There can only be one ultimate title for each talent. If we continue to diminish the title of ultimate by sharing it as we are doing now, we will diminish the shining hope of the other ultimates. That’s why I founded this club. Since Hope’s Peak refuses to give their ultimates the honor they deserve, we must learn which of us is the true ultimate lucky student.”

Komaeda smiled at the two younger students, awaiting their response. Tokuda had none to offer. He decided that responding to him would be the same as encouraging him. Naegi didn’t appear to share that sentiment.

“I’m fine with sharing the title of ultimate lucky student,” Naegi said. “Really, I’m just happy to have the opportunity to attend Hope’s Peak Academy at all. I don’t think that our classmates are bothered that there are multiple lucky students.

Tokuda nodded once in agreement.

Komaeda sighed. “I should have expected this from you two, but I had hoped you would understand.” He ran a hand through his unkempt hair.

“Naegi-kun, do you think that Byakuya- kun would accept the academy sharing his title of ultimate affluent progeny with another student? Or Sayaka-san for that matter?”

“No,” Naegi said after a moment. “Sayaka-san probably wouldn’t mind, but Byakuya-kun would definitely take it up with the school board. If there was any doubt that they were ultimates, they would work hard to prove that they deserved those titles.”

“Exactly!” Komaeda exclaimed. “And we should do the same! We need to learn which of us truly is fit to hold the title of ultimate lucky student. We should hold the expectations of our classmates to ourselves.”

Forget staying quiet and not responding.

“This is ridiculous,” Tokuda protested. “Even if luck was a talent—which it’s not—how do you even test luck in the first place?”

Komaeda’s eyes locked on his and, somehow, the upperclassman’s grin grew wider. Immediately, Tokuda felt like a fawn standing before a hungry wolf.

“I’m so glad you asked,” Komaeda said. Without breaking eye contact, he reached into his coat and pulled out—.

Tokuda’s world screeched to a halt.

_That was a gun._

_That was an actual gun._

_Komaeda was holding an actual, fully loaded, deadly…_

Darkness surrounded Tokuda’s vision, engulfing him before he could continue his panicked thought.

…

“....need to get Tsumiki-senpai!”

“...fine, Naegi-kun…we shouldn’t bother…over…as insignificant as this.”

Speech faded in and out as Tokuda stirred to consciousness. He let out a groan as he became aware of a dull pain at the back of his head.

“Tokuda-kun!”  
“Wonderful, he’s awake again!”

Slowly, Tokuda opened his eyes and found himself staring right up at Naeigi’s worried face. His head was lying on the older boy’s lap and a damp cloth was resting on his face. What was he doing here?

“Are you okay?” Naegi asked worriedly. “You suddenly passed out and you hit your head pretty hard against the floor.”

“I...passed out?” Tokuda repeated. He didn’t remember passing out. What would have made him—.

Komaeda. With a yelp, the previous events came back to him. He jerked upright out of Naegi’s lap startling the older boy. “Get back, Naegi-senpai,” he yelled. He pushed Naegi away towards the door to the classroom. Frantically, his eyes darted around trying to find anything to hide behind. “He still has a gun!”

“Wait, Tokuda-kun,” Naegi said. He attempted to pick himself up off the ground, but Tokuda urged him back towards the door.

“Get out!” Tokuda said. If he tackled Komaeda, maybe it would give Naegi enough time to escape and get help. He tensed, ready to for Komaeda’s incoming attack, but froze when he saw that the oldest luckster was just staring at him.

Komaeda’s brow was furrowed in confusion for a brief moment, but quickly relaxed as he began to laugh. “Oh, I see now,” he said lightly. “You misunderstand.” Without warning, he suddenly lifted the gun towards Tokuda and pulled the trigger.

Tokuda screamed. He expected the pain to come quickly. Already, wetness was spreading through his shirt from the center of his chest. That was his blood, wasn’t it? Where was Naegi? Had he already escaped? Would help get here in time? He fell to his knees and brought a hand up to his chest to stem the bleeding. It was surprisingly cold.

“Tokuda-kun, what are you doing?”

“I’m trying to stop the bleeding!” Tokuda snapped.

“But...you’re not bleeding.”

“What do you mean, I’m not bleeding?” Tokuda demanded. He lifted his hand from his chest and held it up in the air. “Does this look like not bleeding to you?”

He paused. That _did_ look like not bleeding. There was no blood on his hand. It was wet, yes, but it was just...water?

“It’s a novelty water pistol,” Komaeda said from above him. “Five of the six chambers contain water and the last contains dye.”

Tokuda stared dumbly as Komaeda spun the barrel of the gun and pointed it at Naegi. The trigger pulled and pink dye splattered all over the boy’s shirt.

“Wow, you really are unlucky,” Komaeda exclaimed.

Naegi looked annoyed, but unsurprised.

This was too much. Forget the ultimates, forget the lucky students, forget this club, and forget Hope’s Peak. He needed to get out of here.

“You’re insane!” Tokuda cried. “You’re just like the rest of the ultimates!” He backed away towards the door, reluctant to turn his back on the oldest teen fake gun or not.

“Please, don’t compare the ultimates to the likes of me,” Komaeda said with a laugh.

Naegi helplessly looked between the two of them. “I think we should probably end things here for the evening.” He shot Tokuda a concerned look. “You should probably visit Tsumiki-san and have her examine your head. She’s the ultimate nurse.”

Tokuda half nodded at Naegi’s words but continued creeping towards the doorway too preoccupied with keeping his eyes on Komaeda. His hand closed around the doorknob and in one smooth motion he pulled it open and propelled himself out into the hallway. He was halfway to the stairs when he heard Komaeda’s voice call out, “We’ll see you at the next club meeting, Tokuda-kun!”

Yeah right. The only thing Tokuda longed for more than normalcy now was to be as far away from that guy as possible.


	3. Chapter 3: Another Chance

After the gun threat or “club meeting” as Komaeda would likely call it on Friday, Tokuda made the decision to spend the weekend holed up in his dorm room. Admittedly, those had been his plans even before the whole fiasco, but now he was more determined than ever to keep to himself. The flimsy wooden door separating his room from the hallway was the only protection he had against the madness of Hope’s Peak’s students.

He did, however, end up taking Naegi’s advice before barricading himself in his room. Once his nerves had settled and he no longer felt like his skeleton was going to leap out of his skin at every little noise, he sought out the ultimate nurse.

That encounter was almost as strange as the club meeting. Almost.

If he had thought Komaeda’s self-deprecation was bad, Tsumiki’s was flat-out uncomfortable. Apology after apology bombarded him the moment he had entered the nurse’s office. Some of them were for things as innocent as having to put up with her existence. The medical professional acted as if she was a burden to Tokuda, which was confusing because hadn’t he been the one to come to her in the first place?

Although Tokuda was half-tempted to point out that the apologies were unnecessary, he could tell that it would be more trouble than it was worth. Thankfully, after accepting the older girl’s seemingly endless stream of apologies, her medical training appeared to have kicked in. She could have been an entirely different person as she dutifully examined his head and observed him for any signs of a concussion. She had also insisted on completing a routine physical as well to monitor his vitals.

Unsurprisingly, aside from a high heart rate, he was declared overall healthy. There was bruising on the back of his head from where he had hit the floor when he passed out, but he didn’t appear to have a concussion. When Tsumiki had offered him something to help with the lingering pain, Tokuda nearly accepted, but ended up giving her a polite, but firm refusal. The manic glow that had suddenly lit up her eyes as she fiddled a syringe was enough to raise his steadily increasing heart beat. The unabashed look of disappointment with his refusal didn’t make him feel any better either. He made a note to himself to limit any possible activities that would send him to the nurse's office in the future.

The rest of the weekend continued in a quiet and cautious manner for Tokuda. He was thankful that the dorm rooms had an ensuite bathroom with a shower. That, along with his rather impressive supply of instant ramen and other various junk food items kept him from having to venture outside of his room’s safety. He had everything that he needed to survive. That being said, time still passed painfully slow during his survival.

With food, hygiene, and a place to sleep taken care of, Tokuda hadn’t spared a thought as to how he would occupy his time. Homework should have taken up a good portion of his weekend, but since he went out of his way to avoid after-school activities with his classmates, most of his free time during the week was dedicated to his studies. As a result, he was unfortunately all caught up.

That left the internet for entertainment. It didn’t take Tokuda long to settle down on his bed with his laptop and a bag of chips. Mindlessly, he clicked his way through various internet videos until he was fairly certain he could feel his brain melt away. It wasn’t until he was forty minutes deep into a documentary detailing the process of soap-making that he shut his laptop with a groan. There had to be something else that he could do to pass the time.

He contemplated contacting some of his friends from his former high school, but eventually decided against it. No doubtedly, they’d ask him what Hope’s Peak was like and want to hear all the details about the Ultimates. That was a topic, he didn’t feel like talking about now or most likely ever. He’d made more progress attempting to reach his older sister, but ended up hanging up before the dial tone even rang. She’d likely be just as interested in Hope’s Peak as his friends. So it was back to his laptop once more.

Twice over the weekend, someone had knocked on his door disturbing what semblance of peace Tokuda had managed to create. Each time, he froze briefly before rapidly clicking the mute button on his laptop. He imagined Komaeda behind the barrier ready to slip another note under his door to invite him to the next club meeting. It wasn’t until he could hear the sound of footsteps retreating that he allowed himself to breathe again. To his relief, no notes appeared.

By the time Monday morning came, Tokuda had reluctantly come to a conclusion: He couldn’t keep this up. His body felt horrible from eating nothing but junk food the past two days and his eyes looked dead even to him. It was a constant battle to resist the urge to pound his head against the nearest wall in an attempt to relieve his boredom. At this rate, if he had to spend the next three years of his high school experience locked away, the isolation might just destroy him before the Ultimates had the chance. It pained him to admit it, but attempting to make friends was the lesser of two evils.

Despite the many students at Hope’s Peak, his options for friends were limited. On one hand there were his ultimate classmates and on the other, there were the reserve course students. Neither of the two options were very appealing. The Ultimates were, well, _Ultimates_ and some of the reserve course students seemed a bit hostile for reasons he didn’t fully understand. The club for the ultimate lucky students was supposed to have been the solution to this problem, but that hadn’t been much help. Komaeda was definitely out of the question, but Naegi…

Naegi was...alright. As far as Tokuda could tell, he was normal. The brief encounter Tokuda had with the older student gave him a hopeful impression. Naegi wasn’t as intimidating as the other Ultimates and his friendliness seemed genuine. He was like the calm in the eye of a storm, and that was exactly what Tokuda needed.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, stealing his resolve. Naegi was as good a student as any to attempt making friends with. But if he wanted to befriend the older student, he needed to take the initiative, which meant that he needed to act today or he likely never would. Without the club meetings, the only opportunity Tokuda really had to interact with the upperclassman was to catch him at lunch.

Tokuda’s mind buzzed as he went over the best ways to approach Naegi that hopefully wouldn’t involve him having to plop himself down at a table with other upperclassmen students. He still wasn’t quite ready to deal with the Ultimates in his own grade, muchless the older ones. As he grabbed his backpack off of his desk, he caught his reflection in the mirror. The brown suit of the school uniform was no longer a surprise for him to see, but it still didn’t look right.

He’d had to submit his measurements shortly after receiving his acceptance letter to Hope’s Peak, and thus the suit was tailored to fit him perfectly. It was too bad that perfection still didn’t fit Tokuda. He shook his head. As much as he tried not to think about it, he had three years to grow into it whether he wanted to or not. If Naegi or even Komaeda could wear it comfortably, maybe he could too in time.

…

It wasn’t uncommon for the classes to mingle during the lunch period, but most students stuck together in their own grades and further divided into cliques from that point. Since the weather was still pleasant, many of the students—including Tokuda’s own class—brought their meals outside to dine on the front lawn of the campus. Tokuda had hoped that the dining hall being emptier than usual would result in an easier time finding Naegi.

Luck apparently wasn’t on his side today. Strong winds came rolling in throughout the morning classes, bringing in a storm by the lunch period. The dining hall was packed fuller than Tokuda had ever seen it and Naeigi was nowhere to be seen. Rather than wait awkwardly by the room’s entrance, he grabbed himself a tray and slowly worked his way down the lunchline, throwing glances behind in hopes that Naegi would suddenly come walking in.

If there was one thing that he liked about Hope’s Peak Academy, it was the food. Although he was only half-paying attention to the food he scooped onto his plate while his eyes scanned the room, the flavorful aroma of today’s meal still managed to make his stomach growl. He’d expected that the prestigious academy would offer higher quality food than his previous school, but he was pretty sure that the meals served here could be swapped out with those at a five-star restaurant and no one would be any wiser. Even the home-cooked meals from his mother couldn’t compare (though he’d probably never admit that to her).

The end of the lunchline came too soon, leaving Tokuda with a full tray and no idea where to sit. If Naegi didn’t show up, he’d have to choose between finding an empty table or one with a classmate he recognized. In a last ditch attempt to seek the older boy out, he raised himself up on his tiptoes to peer over the heads of the other ultimates. “Where are you, Naeigi?” he muttered.

“Are you looking for someone?”

Startled, Tokuda dropped back down to his heels and turned to face whoever had asked him the question. His eyes widened and his lunch tray nearly slipped from his fingers. His breath caught in his throat. He’d recognize that face anywhere. “You!” he exclaimed.

Dark blue eyes blinked back at him. “Me?”

“Y-you’re Sayaka Maizano,” he managed to get out.

The girl tilted her head and offered a bright smile. “Yep!” she said. “That’s me. Although, I don’t believe we’ve met before. Are you a fan?”

Had it been anyone else asking that question, Tokuda would have vehemently denied it to save himself the embarrassment. It had been the course of action he’d chosen for the past few years. His older sister still teased him about his collection of the idol’s CDs. But this wasn’t just anyone asking that question, this was the ultimate pop sensation herself. He opened his mouth to answer, but to his horror, no words came out. It was all he could do to nod enthusiastically.

Maizano brought a hand up to her mouth, giggling at his reaction. “I’m so happy to hear that,” she said. “It’s always wonderful to meet fans. Without your guys’ support, I wouldn’t be where I am today. What’s your name?”

“T-Tokuda,” the boy stammered out. “My name’s Keitaro Tokuda.” He paused before hesitantly adding, “I’m the ultimate lucky student of class 79.”

“Oh, so you’re the newest lucky student! It’s a pleasure to meet you, Tokuda-kun,” Maizano said with a smile. “Please, there’s no need to be so nervous. I may be a pop idol, but I’d much rather you treat me simply as another of your classmates.”

“Of course!” Tokuda said. His voice was too loud and enthusiastic in his own ears. He could feel himself slowly dying inside as his brain kept alternating between being completely blank and racing with endless thoughts. Would it be wrong to ask her for an autograph right after she asked him to treat her like a regular student?

“I don’t have any photographs on me right now, but I’d be more than happy to get you an autograph later, if you’d like.”

Had he said that last part out loud? A blush spread across his cheeks, warming his face. He forced himself to meet Maizano’s eyes, ready to confirm his fears.

The idol must have read his unspoken question, as she answered, “You were wanting to ask for an autograph, right?”

Tentatively, Tokuda nodded his head. So he hadn’t asked the question out loud?

“Thought so!” She leaned and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “It’s not widely known among fans, but I’m actually psychic!”

The underclassman jerked his head away from the pop idol, eyes wide. She had to be joking. Psychics didn’t actually exist...though if there was any chance that they actually did, Hope’s Peak had probably enrolled them.

Maizano’s giggles transitioned to actual laughter, though it wasn’t mean-spirited. “I’m joking!” she exclaimed. “I just have good intuition. You wouldn’t be the first student here to ask me for an autograph.”

A breath Tokuda hadn’t realized he’d been holding escaped his lips. Slowly, his nervous smile returned. “I guess that makes sense,” he said weakly.

“I’ll get you an autograph soon,” Maizano promised. She pulled out a decorated cell phone, and typed out a quick message. “There, I just added it to my planner so I don’t forget.”

“Thanks!”

“It’s my pleasure,” the pop idol said, slipping her phone back into her school bag. “Now, you never answered my question. Are you looking for someone? You seemed a little lost.”

“I was looking for Makoto Naegi,” Tokuda answered. “But I don’t think that he’s here yet. Do you know him?”

“We’re in the same class,” Maizano said happily. “We actually got dismissed a little late today, so he should be here soon.” She looked around the room searching for the familiar green hoodie and mess of brown hair. “There he is!” She pointed back towards the lunch line where said student was grabbing his cutlery.

Maizano grabbed Tokuda’s arm, ignoring the way the younger student’s breath hitched with the contact, and led him over to Naeigi. “Hey, Makoto-kun!” she called out in greeting. “I ran into one of your friends by the tables. He was looking for you!”

“Hi, Maizano-san,” Naeigi greeted in return. His eyes moved from her to see the friend she was referring to and his face lit up. “Tokuda-kun!” Quickly grabbing a few napkins from the dispenser, he made his way over to the two. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you! I stopped by your dorm room on Saturday, but I don’t think you were there.”

So Naegi had been wanting to talk to him too. That was surprising to hear, but also reassuring. The apprehension that had been growing within Tokuda since deciding to seek Naegi out quickly burned away with the upperclassman’s smile. “I must have been out,” he lied. “I was hoping to talk to you too.”

“We can have lunch together,” Naegi suggested brightly. He turned to the pop idol. “Want to join us?”

Maizano shook her head and held up a to-go box she had packed her own lunch in. “I can’t today,” she responded. “Leon-kun and I agreed to meet up for lunch today. I’ll leave you lucky students to your devices.” Her eyes took on a mischievous light and she looked over to Naegi, adding teasingly, “Just remember to be careful. You don’t want a repeat of last year’s fiasco.”

Tokuda looked over at Naegi and saw the boy’s cheeks go pink. “You know that was an accident!” he protested.

“Of course,” Maizano laughed. “But even if it was an accident, I don’t think Tanaka-senpai would be pleased to have to hunt down all of those chickens a second time. It took him nearly a week to find them all across the campus.”

“What…?”

“It’s not important,” Naegi said hurriedly before Tokuda could further question the pop idol. “Let’s just go and find a table.” He quickly urged Tokuda away from Maizano towards an empty table at the corner of the cafeteria. Sparing one backwards glance, Tokuda could just caught the girl waving goodbye to the two.

“I can’t believe that Sayaka Maizano attends this school,” Tokuda commented as he and Naegi settled into opposite seats at the table.

“I’m surprised,” Naegi said. “A lot of the chat forums were buzzing with news when her attendance was confirmed last year.”

“I must have missed the announcement,” Tokuda said.. “I’ve never really been active on those sites to be honest.”

“Really?” Naegi remarked. “Not even when you were accepted? I spent so much time researching all of my classmates when I got my letter.” He paused before adding meekly, “I guess that sounds a little creepy when I say it like that.”

Although Tokuda personally thought that devoting so much time into researching Hope’s Peak’s students was a little weird, he answered, “I think it’s understandable considering the fame of each of the Ultimates.”

He turned his focus from Naegi to the food he had loaded onto his lunch tray. He’d been so concentrated on trying to find naegi, that he hadn’t really been paying attention to what he had grabbed. The bowl in front of him held some sort of thick stew filled with carrots, small onions, and a meat that he guessed was either beef or pork. It smelled delicious, but he didn’t recognize it. He stirred his spoon through the liquid curiously before bringing it up to his eye level.

“What is this?” Tokuda wondered out loud.

“It’s beef bourguignon,” Naegi said, looking up from his own bowl. He motioned to the lunch line and pointed out a striped flag that had been hung above the serving trays. “Hanamura-senpai usually takes a few weeks out of the school year to experiment with foreign foods. This week is France.”

Tokuda hummed in acknowledgement and brought a spoonful of the stew up to his mouth before taking a cautious bite. One taste was all it took for the flavors to melt him. Just as all of the other meals at Hope’s Peak had been, the French food was delicious. Distracted with his own enjoyment of the stew, it took him a few moments to notice that Naegi had stopped eating. The older boy had set his spoon down and was looking at Tokuda thoughtfully.

“How’s your head doing?”

“It still kind of hurts when I touch it, but it’s feeling a lot better,” Tokuda answered honestly. He lifted his fingers up to feel the bruise and winched when they grazed the tender flesh. “Tsumiki-senpai said that I don’t have a concussion.”

“That’s good,” Naegi said. The relief in his voice was unmistakable. After a moment, his face fell somber. “I wanted to say that I’m sorry about what happened the other day.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” Tokuda said immediately. “You weren’t the one who shot me.” Some students must have overheard his casual remark because a few heads from nearby tables cast Tokuda curious glances that looked both puzzled and concerned.

Naegi didn’t pay them any attention. “No, I really should apologize,” he insisted, waving his hand as if he could physically wave away Tokuda’s words. “I had forgotten that you—and probably the rest of your classmates—haven’t had the chance to interact with Komaeda-senpai yet. “As you saw, he has a very... _unique_ personality.”

At the mention of Komaeda’s name, understanding washed over the features of the other students and they quickly returned their focus to their own conversations.

“That’s one way to put it,” Tokuda snorted. “Although a more accurate way would be to say that he’s _completely insane_.”

Naegi grimaced. “He’s different,” he said in defense of the upperclassman.

“You could say that about any of the Ultimates,” Tokuda pointed out. “But we aren’t really Ultimates though. Us three are supposed to be normal.”

“There’s no such thing as a normal personality,” Naegi said, wrinkling his nose. “We all have our own quirks that make us unique.” He sighed. “That said, you’re right about the rest of the ultimates having unusual personalities as well. But even if their quirks are a little strange, I can kind of understand it. Usually their background or their talent itself can explain the way that they act. What makes Komaeda-senpai different from them is that I don’t understand it. At all. And neither do his classmates.”

“Well, maybe he just doesn’t like to be around other people,” Tokuda said shortly. He was enjoying Naegi’s company, but the topic of Komaeda was quickly overstaying its visit. He had purposely sought out Naegi during lunch so that he could avoid the white-haired teen. He changed his focus from the stew to his salad and began stabbing at the greens with a little more force than necessary. Even talking about the guy was somehow as bad as being around him.

“But he does like people,” Naegi said. He paused and then corrected himself. “Some people. Kind of. It’s complicated.” He threw his hands up in the air and let out a noise of frustration through his teeth.

Watching Naegi was like watching a cracking dam finally breaking down. Tokuda could tell that the boy was starting to speak more to himself now than to him.

Meal clearly forgotten, Naegi continued on a rant. “From what I’ve been able to gather, he loves being around the Ultimates, but for some reason he doesn’t think that he deserves to be around them. If it was just that, I think I’d be able to understand him. But it’s not just that.” He faltered, running a hand through his hair. The action gave Tokuda enough time to cut in.

“I don’t understand why you’re so fixated on Komaeda-senpai,” Tokuda said exasperatedly. “If he keeps to himself as much as you say, I doubt that you’ll need to worry about him. I mean, he’s in a different grade and we’re not continuing those club meetings of his anymore.”

Naegi didn’t respond, and Tokuda didn’t think his words had the impact that he’d intended. He’d expected Naegi to reluctantly agree with his statement and move on from the topic of Komaeda. That’s what he was supposed to do. Instead, Naegi was suddenly focused on his own salad as if it were the most fascinating thing on the planet.

“Naegi-senpai?”

Naegi’s eyes flicked up to his own for a moment. “Um, I actually wanted to talk to you about the club meetings...”

The stew that had once tasted so wonderful churned violently within Tokuda’s stomach. When Naegi had said that he wanted to talk to him over the weekend, he had assumed that it was to ask about his head injury. He had a sinking suspicion that that wasn’t the only topic.

“Naegi-senpai, what exactly did you want to talk about?”

The older luckster now looked as uncomfortable as Tokuda felt and his cheeks blushed pink as he turned away. He muttered something incomprehensible.

“What was that?”

“I wanted to ask you to stay in the club.”

Maybe Tokuda did have some serious damage to his head because he apparently wasn’t hearing properly. Surely there had to be something wrong, because there was no way that the kind-hearted and reasonable Makoto Naegi was asking him to willingly hang around with Komaeda some more. His face must have betrayed his thoughts, because Naegi quickly started talking before he could get the words “absolutely not” out.

“Please, just hear me out before you answer!”

Tokuda was just as ready to deny that request as easily as the first, but the pleading look on Naegi’s face stopped him. It would be kinder to kick a puppy than to say no to those eyes. With a mental groan, he kept his mouth shut and gave a single nod. It wasn’t like Naegi could say anything that would actually change his mind.

Naegi breathed a sigh of relief and uttered a small thank you. He took a moment to collect his own thoughts behind closed eyes unaware that the younger luckster before home was slowly trying to save his last scraps of sanity as everything he hoped for crumbled around him. Naegi was supposed to be his one chance of having a normal friend at Hope’s Peak, but if he was really asking him to stay in the club with _the guy who shot him_ , then perhaps he wasn’t as normal as he initially thought.

Maybe this was just what happens to the lucky students. There was no actual way to adapt to Hope’s Peak insanity so the only hope of survival was just to join in it. That only meant that this must be his future as well and Naegi was already doing his part to lead him into that madness by the hand.

Completely oblivious to Tokuda’s panicked thoughts, Naegi finally let out a deep breath and opened his eyes. Moving his tray aside, he turned his full attention to the underclassman.

“Okay, forget about Komaeda-senpai for a moment,” he began slowly. “I wasn’t lying when I said that I thought the club was a great idea. When I first came to Hope’s Peak Academy, I was as overwhelmed by the ultimates as you are. I think I would have adapted easier if there was someone else that I could relate to.” He paused, pursing his lips as if deciding whether or not to continue. “Maybe Komaeda-senpai would have adapted easier too.”

That certainly hadn’t been the direction Tokuda expected Naegi to go in, but he wasn’t about to be swayed so easily. Ignoring the first part, he latched onto the last comment. “That doesn’t excuse his actions,” he said stubbornly.

“No,” Naegi agreed, shaking his head. “But it’s just a thought. Either way, I think that by setting up this club, we can help future lucky students who will be in our place when we’re gone. Hope’s Peak has a lot to offer its students, but something like this can only be offered by us.” It was probably a trick of the light, but Tokuda swore he saw Naegi’s eyes sparkle as he said this. “Sometimes offering friendship can make all the difference.”

“That does make sense,” Tokuda reluctantly admitted. “But even so, why can’t we just start this club up next year _after_ Komaeda-senpai has graduated?”

“Because everyone deserves to have friends,” Naegi firmly said. “Even if they don’t think that they deserve them. Komaeda-senpai is no exception.” Naegi’s shoulders dropped as if they had been cut free from invisible strings.

“I’ve talked with the other class rep,” Naegi said, “And she admitted that even she and her other classmates have had trouble befriending Komaeda-senpai. He doesn’t think he’s worthy of it. Most of his classmates have shrugged off his presence by now since his behavior makes them uncomfortable, but Nanami-senpai really wants to include him more especially since it’s their final year.”

Tokuda propped his elbow up on the table so that he could rest his chin in his hand. “Look, that’s very noble and all of you to want to help the upperclassmen,” he said. “But maybe Hope’s Peak just isn’t the right place for Komaeda-senpai to make friends. If he’s too starstruck when it comes to the Ultimates, he probably should try to make friends with some regular, non-Ultimate students.”

“He’s even worse when it comes to non-Ultimates,” Naegi groaned. He brought his fingers up to his temples. “He acts like he’s too good for them. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s one of the reasons that so many of the reserve course students still hate us. That’s a whole other issue though. The point is, I feel like if he had at least one friend, it might help him branch out to others. The difficulty is finding that first friend who he can see as an equal.

The realization hit Tokuda as gently as a brick to the face. “You mean us.”

Naegi nodded, a hopeful smile pulling at the corners of his lips. “You understand, right?” he asked eagerly. “We’re the only ones that he would consider to be on his level, so to speak.”

In its own twisted way, it _did_ make sense. It made enough sense that the familiar feeling of dread began to wrap around Tokuda’s throat, keeping his breaths short. The pieces of Naegi’s plan were quickly falling into place, and Tokuda did not like the picture that they were forming.

“But do you really need me to be involved?” Tokuda asked. The question dripped in desperation and came out more like a child’s whine. He didn’t care.

“I’ve tried to get close to him before, but it’s like he tries to avoid me,” Naegi said. “The only time he ever spent around me was just to compare our luck. That’s why I was so surprised that he started a club in the first place.”

Naegi leaned forward over the table. “The club is the only opportunity that we have for Komaeda-senpai to willingly interact with us. Every club is required to have at least three students: two officers and at least one member. Without you, the club will be disbanded, and he’ll go back to distancing himself from everyone again.”

“Isn’t that kind of a low number of members for a club?” Tokuda couldn’t help but ask.

“Those were the rules that were put down before they began allowing reserve course students to join last year. Before that, you can probably imagine how hard it could be to find three Ultimates who were passionate enough about the same activity. Besides, it’s not like any other students would want to join a club based on luck.”

Tokuda didn’t comment on that. He was stuck in this school supposedly due to luck and even he didn’t want to be in the stupid club.

“I’m not going to force you to stay in the club,” Naegi finally said. His hand reached up to awkwardly rub the back of his neck. “I really do want to get to know both you and Komaeda-senpai better, but it’s ultimately your choice.”

His choice, huh? Nearly every fiber of his being screamed at him to turn down Naegi’s request to stay in the club. It was the logical thing to do after all. Yet one small part of him hesitated. This was the best chance that he’d have to befriend Naegi. It’d also be pretty cool to be a founding member of the club that would help future lucky students. All of this came at the cost of putting up with Komaeda though. It wouldn’t be possible to tell at this early stage if the pros outweighed the cons.

Tokuda heaved a heavy sigh of defeat. “Fine.”

Naegi lit up like a Christmas tree. “That’s great!” he said excitedly. “I was really really hoping that you would agree. Thank you for giving this a chance!”

“I have a few conditions,” Tokuda hurriedly added before Naegi could get carried away. “First off, no more guns. Actually, no weapons period. I don’t care if they’re real or fake.”

Naegi nodded. “Agreed. I already talked to Komaeda-senpai about that.”

Good,” Tokuda said. “Second, I’ll participate in these club meetings, but I refuse to get involved in anything that has the slightest bit of potential to put us in physical danger.”

“That’s reasonable,” Naegi said with another nod. “Anything else?”

“Uh…” Tokuda thought it over. Safety was his primary concern, and he hadn’t thought about much beyond that. If he’d known that he would be agreeing to rejoin the club, he would have put some thought into it over the weekend. He supposed now was the only opportunity he would get to set these conditions. It wouldn’t be wise to waste it. “I don’t want to be alone with Komaeda-senpai.”

Naeigi tilted his head in though. “I don’t think that will be a problem since Komaeda-senpai wants to see how our lucks compare with each other. I can promise that I’ll do my best to make sure you never get cornered by him though.”

That was probably the best assurance that Tokuda was going to get. The only thing left was to attempt to gain some form of control over the club activities.

“One more thing,” Tokuda said, raising a finger. “Even though I’m not an official club officer, I want to be involved with any planning.”

“Of course!” Naegi said brightly. “I was hoping you would be involved anyway!”

“Then I guess that’s it.” Now that his demands were made and so easily accepted, Tokuda felt a little awkward. He crossed his arms and looked down at his tray. The food no longer looked very appetizing.

“Great!” Naegi said. The positive energy radiating from the older boy was nearly tangible. Tokuda was half-tempted to try and swat it away. “I’ll talk to Komaeda-senpai about all this and then we’ll go on from there. Thank you again for giving this a chance, Tokuda-kun.”

A bell rang signaling the end of the lunch period. Tokuda managed an apathetic smile. Although the boy in front of him was exuding friendliness and smiles, he couldn’t help but feel that he had just made a deal with the devil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason this chapter was more difficult to write than I thought it would be. So this update ended up being later that I intended. I want to thank everyone for their support of this story through the kudos, subscriptions, and comments! I never thought that I'd write Danganronpa fanfic much less anything light-hearted considering the game's content, but here I am. I'm excited for the direction of this story, poor Tokuda and Naegi have no idea what they're getting into.


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